False God Passage
False God Passage is a small ruined passageway connecting the Rift Secret Grotto to Lost Sky Crater and the former headquarters of the Cult of Ganon. It cannot be fully explored until the Ruptured Towers are completed. Completing False God Passage allows access to the Ghost Ship and by extension the Forgotten Islands False God Passage is accessible by opening a door above a waterfall in the Rift Secret Grotto. The door can be accessed using the Song of Time or by creatively utilizing the Cane of Somaria, Earth God's Lyric, Pegasus Boots, Hover Boots, and/or the Roc's Cape. The passage is composed of a series of three separate sections of differing architecture, namely Ancient Nord, Dwemer, and Dunmer. Nordic Section The door from the Rift Secret Grotto opens to a short Ancient Nord passageway flooded with ankle-deep water and ending with a stone door. To the right of the door is a pull bar which will open it. The stone door opens into a small room containing two Tektites, a chest, a book, a cage with a metal door, and a doorway to a short passageway, the end of which is blocked by rubble. The chest contains the Sword of the Sages with a chance for other leveled loot, including Rupees, Soul Gems, Bombs, potions, torches, armor, ingots, jewelry, scrolls, and lockpicks. The book is found on or near the chest, and is a copy of the Cult Study Vol. 1. The metal door is locked and can only be unlocked using the Hero's Key, obtained after completing the Ruptured Towers. Unlocking the door leads to a ramp, then to a winding passageway containing a Tektie, ultimately leading to a small cave containing a Skulltula and a Gold Skulltula. The east wall of the cave is Dwarven architecture and bears an unlocked metal door leading to the next section of False God Passage. Dwemer Section The first portion of the Dwemer section is a short hallway containing two Tektites. It leads to a junction that goes north and south. The two sections of the junction rejoin, forming a square ring-shaped hallway. Further east, the rejoined hallway opens into a flooded cave and the remnants of a Dwemer bridge. Columns and a toppled door form a makeshift bridge across the water. Two Tektites skim on the surface of the water and rubble can be found underwater. The remainder of the Dwemer section is a winding, partially flooded hallway containing a Tektite and ending with a Dunmer door similar to those found in Raven Rock. Dunmer Section The Dunmer Section is the shortest, featuring one hallway containing a Tektite and leading to a staircase connected to a small room. The room contains a door to the west and a connection to another hallway to the east. In the room are two Ash Hoppers, firewood, ruined books, barrels and Dunmer urns containing food and ingredients. The room also contains bottles of Flin, a chest with random loot, and an open chest containing a Fire Rune scroll, and Ironflesh Scroll, a Candlelight Scroll, a Fear Poison, a Draught of Resist Magic, a Potion of Lasting Potency, a Solution of Extra Magicka, a Draught of Glibness, a Potion of Healing, and a Potion of Plentiful Healing. The door to the west has a Cult of Ganon banner above it and leads to the Cult Headquarters, while the hallway to the east contains an Ash Hopper and leads to another small room. In the small room to the east is another door as well as three Ash Hoppers and the corpses of two Ganon Cultists. Both cultists wear Ganon Cultist Robes, carry Orcish Daggers, and Ganon Cultist Rings. The room also contains shelves that carry ruined books, jugs of Matze, two garnets, and Ash Yam, and a copy of the Cult Study Vol. 2. A fireplace to the west is filled with glowing embers, in front of which is a pot holding an Ash Yam. In the coals is a Yiga Mask. The door to the East is locked and leads to Lost Sky Crater. It can only be accessed after obtaining the Lost Sky Key from the Cult Headquarters. Cult Headquarters The Cult Headquarters consist of an eastern foyer, a central laboratory area, a pair of jail cells to the north, an executioner's block, a set of shackles, a large barrel of blood and a corpse on a spike in the northwest, an altar brimming with swirling red energy in an alcove to the west, a shrine to Molag Bal in the southwest, and a pair of altars in the south. The Cult Headquarters contain Vivian, a Hylian Vampire, as well as two Wolfos, a Redead, and the corpses of three Ganon Cultists as well as living cultist bound to the shackles in the northwest. The area contains the Heretic Shield, a copy of The Clock Ticks On, an Orcish Sword, 10 Daedra Hearts, 3 Human Hearts, a Ganon Cultist Ring, a Heart Stone, the Lost Sky Key, and Farore's Pearl. Vivian Vivian patrols the headquarters and can be found praying to Farore's Pearl, looking at the captive cultist or Heretic Shield, or resting in her coffin. She is restless, however, and will not stay in her coffin or any other station for long. She carries the Lost Sky Key as well as a Corrupt Hylian Shield, and the Vampire's Letter. Foyer In the foyer are Cult of Ganon banners, as well as four gargoyle statues. One of the statues is a Gimos and will attack if disturbed. Further north is a coffin. Laboratory Three altars form a U-shaped table in the center of the laboratory. The eastern section holds Daedra Hearts and Human Hearts, an Alchemy table, and the corpse of a Draug, surrounded by torture tools. The northern section holds a goat head, a werewolf head, a human skull, an Orcish Sword, and the Heretic Shield. The western section holds a probe, a copy of The Clock Ticks On, and a Ganon Cultist Ring near the large barrel of blood. Southern Altars The southern altars bear a Redead and the corpse of a Ganon Cultist, as well as another Cult of Ganon Banner. The Redead will be unaggressive unless disturbed. Jail and Prisoner Two Wolfos are inside the jail with the corpses of two Ganon Cultists, as well as another Lost Sky Key. The captive cultist will plead for help or simply scream if spoken to. He cannot be rescued, but will vanish if Farore's Pearl is taken. Farore's Pearl Farore's Pearl is suspended above an altar in a vortex of red energy and surrounded by six purple flames. Farore's Pearl can be taken from this altar, ending the ritual and disabling the red energy. Taking Farore's Pearl will also make the captive cultist vanish, and will make the Ghost Ship accessible from Kinolangdanzel or Itnamzand. Helgraf will also be present at Din's Shrine in the Reach. Whether the Lost Sky Key was obtained from Vivian or from the jail cell, Lost Sky Crater will be accessible after exiting the Cult Headquarters. Notes The presence of a Yiga Mask in the fireplace of the Dunmer section implies that a Yiga Clansman was killed by the Cult of Ganon, or perhaps by Vivian, and their belongings were burned. It is also possible that their body was burned. The possibility also exists that a Yiga Clansman defected to the Cult of Ganon or joined Vivian. The captive cultist and Helgraf are intended to be the same person The implication is that Helgraf prayed to Farore to rescue him from Vivian's torture, repenting for his evil deeds as a member of the Cult of Ganon and promising to honor the Golden Goddesses. Background and Inspiration The Cult Headquarters uses a necromancer's lair location from the modders resource Island of the Modern Dwemer Engineers by mde0815. False God Passage was added in version 6.5 as a connection to Lost Sky Crater and to house the Cult of Ganon. The name refers to Ganon himself, given the presence of the Cult of Ganon in the passage. The collapsed hallway in the Nordic section was originally intended to connect to the underwater ruin in the Rift Secret Grotto, but JKalenad decided against including the connection, instead leaving the underwater ruin isolated. See Also Cult of Ganon Lost Sky Crater Mad God Passage Sand God Passage Farore's Pearl Nayru's Pearl Din's Pearl